The announcement Wednesday that
Leader of the People’s Progressive Movement and Leader of the Opposition Kurt
Tibbetts was stepping down from those positions shouldn’t come as a huge
surprise.
After the disastrous results for
the PPM in the 2009 elections and after details of the budget mess his
administration left behind were revealed, Mr. Tibbetts’ days as the party
leader had to be numbered.
The PPM decided it was better for
Mr. Tibbetts, a known entity, to steer the party ship through the rough
post-election waters than to create a more chaotic situation with a new
leadership structure. In addition, his loyal colleagues no doubt didn’t want
their friend to lose even more face in the wake of what had to be a stinging
defeat in the elections.
But now the party has to start
thinking about how – and with whom – it will contest the 2013 elections. Moving forward with Mr. Tibbetts at the helm
simply made no sense. Unlike what others might do in his position, the party
leader will gracefully step aside so that others can take the PPM forward. Rather than quietly shrink into the
background, Mr. Tibbetts made it clear that he would remain an active
legislator and would do whatever the party asked of him.
During his announcement, Mr.
Tibbetts voiced his support for the political party system, saying it was the
personalities involved that were causing the legislative rancour and not the
system itself. If this is the case though, we’re not sure if his resignation
will improve things or make them worse. One of Mr. Tibbetts’ strong suits is
his calm leadership approach, an attribute that isn’t generally shared by two
of his more combative possible party leader successors, Alden McLaughlin and
Arden McLean.
As strange as it will seem to have
Mr. Tibbetts take a back seat in the PPM, the party needed new direction. We
tip our cap to Mr. Tibbetts for his graceful exit and we thank him for his
service to this country. We also wish the PPM luck in their restructuring
process, for this country needs strong leadership on both sides of the
Legislative Assembly aisle now more than ever.
Related Videos
